Grease ice is a very thin, soupy layer of frazil crystals clumped together, and only formed in large, open bodies of water most notably the ocean. Grease ice makes the water resemble an oil slick, the small crystals of ice held closely together reflect and refract light similarly to …

Frazil ice is a collection of loose, randomly oriented ice crystals a millimeter and sub-millimeter in size, with various shapes, e.g., elliptical disks, dendrites, needles and of an irregular nature.

Any break or rupture through very close pack ice, compact pack ice, consolidated pack ice, fast ice, or a single floe resulting from deformation processes. Fractures may contain brash ice and/or be covered with nilas and/or young ice.

Grease ice (thin, light-grey area) with thick ice floes. a very thin, soupy layer of frazil crystals clumped together, which makes the ocean surface resemble an oil slick.

As this soup thickens, a thin film of ice known as grease ice forms. This film is strong enough to support the weight of a seabird, and can ripple with the waves passing beneath. As the surface temperature continues to drop, the ice forms a solid layer and is then called pack ice.

Grease ice is commonly not explicitly simulated in basin-scale sea-ice ocean models, though it affects oceanic heat loss and ice growth and is expected to play a greater role in a more seasonally ice-covered Arctic Ocean.

Grease ice is later stage of freezing than frazil ice. The crystals have coagulated to form a soupy layer on the surface. Grease ice reflects little light, giving the sea a matt appearance.

In a field and laboratory study we discuss the formation, growth, and wave-absorption properties of grease ice. Our field observations show that grease-ice formation occurs under cold windy conditions in both leads and polynyas.

Oct 27, 2023 · Grease ice is a very thin, soupy layer of frazil crystals clumped together, which makes the ocean surface resemble an oil slick. Grease ice is the second stage in the formation of solid sea ice after ice floes and then frazil ice. New sea ice formation takes place throughout the winter in the Arctic.

An early stage of sea ice formation, grease ice consists of a viscous mix of tiny ice crystals and resembles an oil slick on the ocean's surface. Wind and currents constantly shape and reshape grease ice into surreal, ghostly patterns.